Mother's Day

I've enjoyed visiting each of your blogs and reading your Mother's Day posts. For many, Mother's Day is a day of celebration; gathering all of our children and celebrating the gifts that God has given.

Many of my Mother's Days have been just that--my heart was full as each of my children spent the day lavishing hand-made cards, priceless art work and kisses galore. For the last decade, Mother's Day has been a dismal reminder that our family is fractured. There was the Mother's Day that my MIP showed up 20 minutes late to leave for Mother's Day brunch with a black-eye and broken cell phone. His girlfriend was mad that he was spending a few hours with me, so she grabbed his cell phone, smashed it to the floor and hit him square in the face before storming out of the door.

Or the Mother's Days that were spent with my other two children, my heart filled with gratitude for their presence while trying to balance the dread that I felt knowing that I did not know what my son was doing that day....or any day.

Or the Mother's Day spent in the hospital with my son fearing for his life as he struggled with unknown intestinal bleeding.

Or the Mother's Day.......

And then there was THIS Mother's Day! We spent the weekend with our entire family at our Lake Cabin. We dined at a local restaurant on Saturday evening to celebrate Mother's Day. I had to pinch my self as we walked into the restaurant and sat at a table for seven. With all of my children sitting around a table once again, my heart was filled to overflowing and the tears were hard to hold back. We talked, we laughed, we enjoyed a great meal together. We looked like any other family celebrating....family.

Still, this simple event was unlike any that we have experienced in so many years. No arguing, no disappointments, no judgements, no sadness. In fact, from the moment our MIP arrived at the Cabin, we interacted as a family with such ease. No tension, no outbursts, no rage, no predictable upsets. This may not seem like a miracle to you--but let me repeat, while doing the "PTL Happy-dance"....this was a miracle. It has, literally, been years since our family has been in the same room without any sibling tension or parental strife.

My MIP gave me a Mother's Day Card which read:

Mom, I took a few detours along the road to adulthood.....
Thanks for never losing sight of who I really was.

Through the years of tears, our vision has never been clouded....yes, son, we will never lose sight of who you really are. The possibility that you are beginning to get a glimpse of just that same vision holds deep and lasting promise.

It was a very! good! Mother's Day!

Dawn celebrated Mother's Day with her entire family, once only a dream, yesterday--a blessed reality. Please stop by her blog and then head off to Kevin's for Part VII of their shared Story of Deliverance.

Truly, we are not defined by the fractures of our lives, we are, in fact, defined by the One who mends our broken hearts and satisfies our every hope and dream. Even when we lose our vision, He never loses sight of His divine goal....for every moment of our lives. In fact, He works with what we give Him and He often works best with our fractured circumstances.

My MIP signed a personal note on my card, part of which read, "Great hand-eye coordination, Mom!" At first glance, I didn't understand....but then I got it! My MIP understands, each and every painful thing we have done in his prodigal journey has been a tangible hands-on intervention coming from our vision of who we know he can be....who he truly is. Is THAT a God thing...or what? God is gathering my son's thoughts and bringing him home.

THAT is a gift worth celebrating!